


Feet on the Ground

by Lackyducks



Series: Polyship Prompt Week [5]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Adam-Centric, Flying, Mild Injury, Multi, Some pain, Wing AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-26
Updated: 2016-08-26
Packaged: 2018-08-11 06:13:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7879666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lackyducks/pseuds/Lackyducks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adam doesn’t have wings. Soon he will. The others are going to support him very step of the way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Feet on the Ground

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt used is here:  
> http://polyshipprompts.tumblr.com/post/126933775373/imagine-a-wing-au-where-everyone-but-one-person-in

This is how it goes. 

When you're young, eventually, you grow wings. Some people like to match theirs up to birds’, some don't. There's specific fly and no fly zones, learning schools, permits and if you don’t have wings then an entire world isn't accessible to you. 

Of course, Adam doesn’t have wings. 

The others dote other his back often, feeling his shoulder blades as they can no longer touch their own. They’ll plant kisses and place soft touches but there’s only so much that can help. Especially when you know they’re only paying it attention because you’re different. Sure, it might be a change from the harsh words, the  _ fights,  _ the being afraid to walk down the street even when he’s hidden by all seven of his partners - it’s still something that happens because he’s  _ different.  _ It’s far too often that Adam regrets not listening to teachers, regrets ever becoming an internet personality. The threats he gets are terrifying but, he can’t even do anything about them. He’s wingless and the police don’t care. He knows that at _ least  _ Elyse goes through the comments and deletes them, he knows Joel has put a filter on them. He imagines how bad they’d be without.  

There’s still the worst times, looking up at his partners as they fly, all of them preening one another’s wings patiently. All of these bonding activites that he can’t do. His lack of wings puts them in danger, too. But they still love and care for him, hold their wings over him when it’s raining. Hell, James has picked him up a few times to go flying. Sure, yes, it was kind of terrifying, but Adam appreciated the gesture. 

The change happens gradually. Adam doesn’t notice until three days after the growth has begun. He’s reaching over to itch his back when he feels how it seems to have lumped. He pauses, considers this, and then reaches down to his tailbone. There’s a familiar bump beginning to emerge there. He looks at himself in the mirror, trying to twist his head around to see them. 

He, he doesn’t actually know how to react. It must be a fluke, right? Has to be. So he drags Lawrence from where he was watching television, his black feathers fluttering very slightly in protest, and makes him put his hand up to the spots. Lawrence is incredibly confused. And then he’s not.

“Adam, are these bumps?” He asks, though he knows they are. It’s one of those tests, to try and perceive how Adam is feeling about the situation. 

“I think so.” He answers, because he can think what ‘yes’ or ‘no’ would imply and he assumes that this answer could hide his emotions a bit more. Or give away that he’s completely unsure of how he feels. Probably that. 

“Are your wings coming through?” Lawrence then says, and Adam nods. “Do you want to tell the others?” Adam shrugs, because he doesn’t really know. There’s always that chance it’s a fluke, he’ll get them excited and worried for nothing. They haven’t grown through for so long, why now? “That’s not a yes or no.” 

“Can we wait until we’re sure?” Adam checks, and Lawrence raises an eyebrow at him. 

“Adam, I know you, and I know that you don’t have an idea of what ‘sure’ means.” Lawrence manages to keep complete eye contact with Adam as he says it too. The prick. He shouldn’t be able to do that. Even if Adam knows it’s true.

“Let’s just, leave it until one of them notices.” Adam shrugs. Lawrence tries to stare into his soul, convince him that it’s a bad idea, but Adam refuses to have any of it. Lawrence tilts his head down, breaks the eye contact in a show of submission. Adam notices how his feathers still bristle despite how he’s hiding his anger. Adam’s going to miss not having those indicators. 

It takes a week for them to notice. Adam doesn’t remember wings taking this long to grow in. Maybe it’s because he’s an adult? He’s slightly worried other things might change soon. The others notice because the bumps start pushing his shirt up, his trousers start catching on the growing tail. Well, James notices and James is loud. Generally, if James finds out something you’re trying to hide - the others will either never know or will know in a day. James notices because Adam is in the process of putting on a hoodie to hide it slightly better when, from the bed, he gasps.

“Adam are those bumps?!” He exclaims, launching off the bed and running his hands over the skin. The house is cursedly small, and soon Elyse is peeking her head in too, a worried look on her face. 

“What’s happening in here? She sounds vaguely panicked, and both Adam and James snap their heads to look at her. James looks far, far too excited. 

“Adam’s wings are growing!” He tells her, reaching over and pulling to show the bumps off. Elyse gasps too, and then everybody knows within the next hour.

In the next week, Elyse has done so much research that she might as well apply for some kind of course about it and Matt has gone out and bought five ‘for when your child is growing their wings’ books. Bruce did as much research into adult growing wings as he could, and Sean is happily sharing with Adam his experience of wings growing (he was a late bloomer but still, not as late as Adam.) The wings extend almost torturously slow, bump getting longer bit by bit. There’s no feathers growing in yet, Elyse assures him they just come in slightly later. Adam’s back also aches, the weight of the wings and tail so unnatural to him that it’s completely messed up his balance. Most mornings he wakes up, tries to sit up, and falls backwards. 

They ache too, fucking  _ growing pains. _ Adam hasn’t had them since he was a too lanky for his own good teenager. He can’t put any weight on them. James has been lending him his tops with the wings slot already put in. He just has to suffer with the tension on his underwear and the tail until it’s big enough for him to start arranging around. James’ jeans simply don’t fit on him and a belt isn’t going to help. Recording videos is getting harder, the chair backs pushing against the bumps and Adam spends most of his time squirming in them now. He’s not sure what they’re going to do - how they’re going to hide this from the audience. 

When they aren’t worrying though, everybody is pretty excited. Joel has been teaching Adam how to move them a bit more, giving excited coos as the stubs waggle. His own wings flutter with pride, when they aren’t bound because honestly, they’re massive. Not the biggest, but large and proud, the blue in them shining in the light. They’re placing bets on what Adam’s wings will be. The two most popular choices seem to be a raven or a sparrow. Adam hates all of them. 

They’re just starting to extend out further than the body when Adam feels the first pains. He can’t quite see what it is in the mirror but it’s not a pleasant feeling. In the end, he has to get one of the others over to see what it is. Matt tells him it’s his feathers starting to grow in, and then he’s walking off urgently.

The next day, Adam is in  _ agony.  _ The wings have been growing for two months now, and sure the growing hurt but this, this is a new level. Along the levels of ‘waking up and wishing to no longer wishing to exist’ pain. It fucking hurts, Adam feels like he’s dying. Like, actual death is coming for him. And it’s coming for his back first.

His moans of pain wake Joel up, and Joel seems briefly confused at what could be making that sound. He pushes himself up, wings tucked carefully back against him. Adam has his eyes tightly shut, shaking in Bruce’s arms (and not waking him up is some kind of miracle.) Joel sees him, and his face softens from its confusion.

“Oh god, Adam, baby.” Joel is careful as he unravels him from the grips of the others, carefully picking him up from the bed. He guides him as carefully as he can, well aware of the pin feathers starting to emerge in bunches. Joel gets him settled in the guest bedroom, collects all the spare blankets and pillows they have to create a nest for him to relax in, as they frequently do whenever one of them has a bad molt. He sits Adam down, leans him onto Joel’s side and tries to explain what’s happening. Adam struggles to pay attention to the words but he clings to them the best he can. 

Thankfully, Adam soon falls back to sleep, and Joel is able to carefully creep away to the others. He wakes Elyse up, and the two of them set to getting stuff ready for the time ahead. It’s, it isn’t going to be fun. They can’t imagine how much pain Adam is in, they’ve had years upon years of practice now - can’t remember all the way back then. Elyse gets the lotion from their bathroom cupboard for when Adam wakes up. She’s already worried he’s going to split one of the bloodfeathers. 

He does, of course. And then there’s blood falling from Adam’s back, staining the cushions, and Adam is panicking and they’re panicking and Lawrence is the only one smart enough to sit down and actually bother to look up what to do. They end up leaving it, because none of them know a doctor who’d be willing to treat an adult only just growing in wings, and none of them want to put Adam through the trauma of looking. If it looks like it might be getting too bad, they’ll pull it out. Adam splits a few more, as they begin to itch because whilst some sheaths are coming off, others are still growing. Each of them takes time to preen him, never leaving Adam home alone (because he can’t go to work in this state and they’d all worry too much to get work done and yes the audience is worried but the audience can fuck themselves until they know Adam isn’t in  _ pain. _ ) Each of them do their best to assist, watching as the wings start to fill in. 

It’s more months before Adam’s wings are at full length - six months, in fact. He’s not at work for those six months, and they promise that everything is fine. The audience worries, the audience always worries, and those reassurances aren’t enough anymore. They skip out on RTX that year, chose to stay with Adam to avoid the questions. They’re still asked, but at least it’s not to them. 

Another two months, and Adam’s wings and tail are fully filled out. Before that though, they’re able to watch as the colours form into a complete picture, the wing sections completing little by little. The top of Adam’s wings are mostly black, (which is already a surprise) but below, they start to fill out with orange, and white stripes across sections of the black. The tail has a large orange ending too. Joel is fascinated, immediately trying to research as James simply plays with the first few orange feathers that emerge, as well as preening, of course. Adam’s feeling a lot better now, can appreciate their excitement over him. Hell, even he agrees the colours look pretty stunning. Though orange might mess with his wardrobe.

Well, what wardrobe? He can’t actually wear any of it anymore. They need to go shopping. 

“Baltimore Oriole.” Joel tells them, dropping one of the books Matt got him from the library on the table. Sean sneaks up so he can see the pictures, grinning and holding the book up for the others. 

“Adam, you’ve even got the colours for our logo! You can be our new mascot!” James teases, and Adam reaches over to hit him, still looking in amazement at the bird. That’s him. He’s that bird. He’s not sure how to feel about that, so he settles on bewilderment. 

“Sorry Bruce, but Adam’s gotta be the boss now. Look at him.” Elyse shrugs, holds out her hand. Bruce glares. Matt nods.

They’ve not let Adam back on camera yet, despite the almost year that’s passed since he last appeared. It’s one simple reason.

In three days, it’s Extra Life. All of them are already urgently packing what they need, hoping to stay for the week down there, content production has been on overdrive, they have been working late nights to try and get that far ahead. The RT guys want to see Adam’s wings, and who are they to disappoint?

Adam’s first experience with binding his wings comes when they try and get him on the plane, because planes are still small and flying is tiring. Plus Adam can’t actually fly yet. They need to teach him, his stubborn ass isn’t going to go to a school with a bunch of pre-teens. It turns out that binding wings isn’t a fun thing to do. They’re scratchy and uncomfortable and he hates it, hates having to keep his tail tucked in too. Why do people do like them?! 

And arriving at the RT offices, that’s something else. He’s pounced on by every employee under the sun, and thankfully Geoff is able to save them, quickly drag them into the AH offices where everybody knows to Stay Away From. And that’s where they hide, even as various members duck in and out to join the stream.

“Hey guys, you’re on!” Jeremy pokes his head in the room, waving ecstatically. Everybody has been hanging back for this moment, they’ve hinted at something happening across social media. They’ve given no hints what it could be yet. There’s a buzz in the air, everybody vibrating with excitement. They’ve not unbound Adam’s wings yet, set to doing it now, with instructions to keep them under his hoodie and tightly wrapped around him. They’re still obvious, but the precious colours are hidden from sight. Jeremy follows beside them. His wings flutter and he’s bouncing on his heels, runs back onto the set as they casually walk on. 

They’d decided to make Adam’s appearance as calm as possible. They’d go on, call Adam on. So it’s about five minutes until Adam gets onto set and he is nervous. Matt’s not here, and neither is Sean - the two of them having to keep base back at the office (Adam still hates leaving the two behind. Matt knows how to calm him better than anyone.) 

Bruce takes the cue, “Hey, come on, Adam!” And he smiles brightly at him, and Adam smiles back. Jack laughs as James runs over, pulls Adam straight off his feet with a vibrant laugh. 

“Adam! You aren’t dead!” He jokes, finally letting Adam back on his feet. Adam’s wings twitch as he smiles, bowing his head to hide his blush.

“Hey Adam, we missed you!” Jack waves, and Adam waves back.

“Missed you guys too.” He replies. Joel takes the opportunity to get one of the cameras on him, leaning into it very sternly.

“So, if you guys don’t donate for this, we’ll be very upset.” He tells it - the audience beyond. The chat is already bursting, Elyse watches it over Jack’s shoulder with an affectionate smile. The wings haven’t gone unnoticed then, and Elyse looks up, claps to get their attention.

“Boys, let’s show off what Adam’s been working on these past few months!” She calls, and Lawrence nods his agreement, filming on his phone for a better angle. He can see them moving one of the cameras as well, ready for this moment. Adam pulls his hoodie off and stretches his wings out, and the resounding gasp as a result is united. People from off set run on to see, making sure to let the camera keep a good view as Adam turns, spreads them out fully. Jack’s laughing and Adam’s grinning - knowing that this is probably going to be one of the crowning moments of his life. 

The comments don’t stop, only change to how Adam’s a late bloomer, how the orange is an awful colour, but amongst all his partners, he’s happy. And when he gets the first message about how seeing somebody else who’s as late of a bloomer as they are, fills Adam with hope. Life sucks, sure, but at least his story can help people like him. That’s one of the best parts of it.

“Are you sure you’re ready to do this?” Elyse asks, stood next to Adam’s side. Bruce is to her side. He has the largest wings of all of them, they’ve already made sure he can carry Adam’s weight too. James, Matt and Lawrence are down there as back up, ready to step in just in case. Despite them being in a free-flying facility, they’re still on the top of something equivalent to a skyscraper. Adam feels jittery just knowing what’s about to happen.

“As I’ll ever be.” He shrugs. She nods, gets out her phone out to record.

“Let’s go then.” She nods, they’ve already recorded snippets for the introduction. She leans over the edge, wings held up to balance herself. James waves up at her. Joel and Sean are further back, just watching for now. Bruce squeezes Adam’s hand, stands far enough away that they won’t hit each other. Adam looks straight ahead, takes a deep breath and dives. He falls, straightens, and beats his wings.

Adam  _ flies. _


End file.
